WO2024039535A1 - Wine purchase decision making aiding system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

A system and interactive method that facilitates and shortens the purchase decision process of the wine customer at the shelf in the store. It is also a method that helps in the sales process, via a Platform that connects and integrates databases with the store's stock systems. The system has the ability to group, relate, filter, summarize, compare and graph information on wine features and link outcomes to specific store stock. Customers can access the Platform through a connecting means and launch a Purchase Decision Making Process. The system returns a short list synthesizing the customer's top options, allowing the customer to compare them, choose one or more and find their approximate location on the store shelves. The process is fed information from these choices and customer preference surveys, generating automatic metrics that the system analyzes and reports.

Description

TITLE: Wine Purchase Decision Making Aiding System and Method INVENTOR: Pablo Raul de Diego

INTERNATIONAL PATENT APPLICATION

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/398,062, filed August 15, 2022, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present invention relates in general to the collection and exchange of retail data, and, more specifically, to a system that enables an individual customer to obtain organized and relevant real-time information regarding alcoholic beverages, for facilitating in-store purchasing decisions through the use of an electronic device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Deciding what products to purchase without having access to detailed information about the different characteristics of products of the same type is a real challenge for customers in retail environments. Unlike online purchases, where a user can compare ratings, read reviews, and filter results according to relevant criteria, when the purchase takes place in a physical store, there is uncertainty about the price/quality relationship and the general characteristics of the different products offered for sale. This often leads to a suboptimal decision. There are few products with as much diversity in their marketing spectrum as wines. The moment of dec iding what to purchase represents a challenge for a customer facing the shelves. An average of 300 labels, spanning across nationalities, regions, wineries, types of wine, grape varieties, style of wines, pairings, etc., inevitably drive a constrained decision based on prior knowledge and price range. This fails to consider several relevant aspects, which would be taken into account by the customer if the data were available, for a more informed choice. [0004] As an outcome of this situation, the customers in a physical store, having limited availability of data relevant to their purchase decision making processes, stick to the products they know, within the price ranges they consider appropriate. This often results in limited selections, quite different from what they might have chosen had they been able to access comprehensive information about the options available in each store. Moreover, an average customer not only ignores the relevant characteristics of the wines in general, but also which wines are available on the shop. Without tools, knowledge about availability is limited to what the customer can visualize. The volume and quantity in existing stock also limit the decision. Due to these limitations, most users are cautious of trying new or unfamiliar products, that they would be willing to try if they knew that certain conditions, not apparent from the packaging, are met.

[0005] Currently, there is no interactive digital tool in front of the wine store shelves to help the customer make a more confident and objective decision, as ratings and reviews in e-commerce platforms do. A system that has the capacity to group, relate, filter, summarize, compare, and graph information referring in particular to the stock that a customer has in front of his or her eyes in a physical store, and return it in a short selection list containing weighted ratings from customers and experts would be of great utility.

[0006] Although customers can access an e-commerce platform from their cellphones, and they can read online and compare reviews about some individual products found in the store, while in the store, there is no automatic and immediate feedback linking the actual products available in the store to those external platforms. Hence, there is no way for them to filter, reorder, compare, or judge the products that are actually in stock in that physical location. In other words, there is a lack of an immediate interaction between the purchase decision, the shelf, and the store metrics.

[0007] A system and method that facilitates and shortens the purchase decision process of the wine customer in situ (in the store) in front of the shelf and its counterpart, a complement that helps to make the sale for the store owner through the use of digital tools that process information and return a response that summarizes their choices, seeking objectivity, security, and certainty, would solve this long-felt and unresolved problem, constituting an advancement to the field.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] It is an object of this invention to provide a tool that enables wine customers in a physical store to make informed and objective purchase decisions, integrated with the store's stock information.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a tool that facilitates an informed and objective purchase decision making process for wine customers in a physical store by presenting, grouping, analyzing, relating, filtering, summarizing, comparing, and/or graphing relevant information in a digital, interactive, visual, and easy to use way.

[0010] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a tool that facilitates an informed and objective purchase decision making process for wine customers in a physical store, that easily disaggregates characteristics (nationality, region, type of wine, strain, wine style, vintage, pairing, etc.), until obtaining the "best" result according to the customer's search and needs at the specific time of purchase.

[0011] Moreover, from the perspective of the store owner, a further object of the present invention is to provide a tool that helps sales, generates metrics in real time, and manages information about the stock, its modifications, replenishments, purchases, and needs.

[0012] A Wine Purchase Decision Making Aiding System and Method in accordance with the present invention is achieved by combining some or all of the following elements:

1) A platform for the analysis and processing of big data of wines, their characteristics and customer and expert ratings, and an architecture able to work dynamically, customize, modify and be scalable with each particular store (stock, inventory, prices, sectorization), including some or all of the following features: a. A database of wines with all their relevant data (nationality, region, type of wine, grape variety, year, etc.). Prices provided by each store. b. A predefined (customized) selection process. c. A weighting system for ratings and reviews, distinguishing between objective and subjective variables, which trigger different search and selection options, and differ in the weighting at the time of comparison, previously informing the customer before making a decision. d. Graphs, charts, and comparison matrices, summarizing the store’s total stock information based on the parameters chosen by the customer and generating one or more options so that they can be compared among ratings weighted by the system itself, number of ratings, price, and flavors. e. Customization of the store shelves sectoring system returning the physical location in-store of the product(s) chosen as a result of the decision-making sub-system. f. A feedback sub-system, recording the activity and choice processes by customers to provide feedback and generate metrics to be used for planning, operations management, and subsequent marketing by the store. g. Possibility of being integrated with the store management system. ) The use of displays which can contain or download the information from the mentioned platfomi and customized to the store, through which the customer is able to select his preferences from a range of predetermined search possibilities. This can be a Touch Screen and/or tablet, and/or QR and/or App using Smartphone and/or any current or future visual tool that can connect via wi-fi or data, visualize and display a software and that the customer can interact (owned by the business or the customer) that can connect wi-fi or mobile data or any system that supplants it and that can download the information contained in our platform and be used in a business that sells or serves wines. 3) A Store Terminal (computer supporting the Platform) and

4) A Barcode or QR reader.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0013] Fig. 1 is a conceptual block diagram of an embodiment of Wine Purchase Decision Making Aiding System and Method in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND BEST MODE OF IMPLEMENTATION

[0014] Definitions. The description of the following terms will contribute to the understanding of the present specification and claims: a. Wines: refers to wines, spirits, whiskeys, and other types of alcoholic beverages b. Store or (S): unifies wine stores, supermarkets, hypermarkets, wine bars (except for specific variations in this option), wholesalers with public sales and/or any type of trade and/or private wineries or restaurants that have a variety of wineries, type of wines and labels. c. Connecting Means: This includes screens, touch screens, tablets, smartphones, and any future visual tools that can display an interactive platform, using either wireless or wired connectivity . These devices can be owned either by the business or the customer.

[0015] Processes: a. SR: Selection Result. b. CSR: Confirm Selection Result c. PDP: Purchase Decision Process d. DIVE: Digital, Interactive, Visual and Easy to use. e. OC: Objective choice. f. SC: Subjective Choice. g. QBM: Quick Best Match. h. QOC: Quick Option Compared. i. COM: Combo

[0016] Parameters or objective variables: They are those that define a characteristic with greater certainty, but not always the quality or result is absolute. I call objective parameters to: Nationality, region, state, type of wine, grape, year and ratings (these only when they are the result of the average of a certain number or critical mass of customers. Ratings or expert ratings are also objective parameters but with a weighting)

[0017] Subjective parameters or variables: They are those that denote a personal, particular, and singular appreciation that define a characteristic with a lower degree of certainty. I call subjective parameters: wine styles, pairing with food, flavors and customer and expert reviews.

[0018] A Wine Purchase Decision Making Aiding System and Method that has as a main purpose facilitating and shortening the purchase decision process of the wine customer in situ (in the store), facing the shelf, is here proposed. For this purpose, an interactive process between people is combined with the use of technological tools (big data, software, displays, devices, connectivity and accessories) to be used "in situ" in stores that sell and/or dispense wines and whiskeys to: facilitate the customer's purchase decision process (PDP), give greater objectivity and confidence to their choice, refer to the particular stock of the store and locate approximately the product on the shelf; obtain feedback that generates automatic and immediate metrics and stores information for the benefit of the customer and the store; and generate a new communication and marketing channel between the store and the customer. [0019] The result of this interactivity will provide: j. Selection System: it will be carried out through touch screens and/or tablets and/or on the customer's smartphone, and whose purpose is to facilitate and shorten the customer's purchase decision process (PDP). The process and the result will refer specifically to the stock/inventory of each particular store and will locate approximately where the product is located. k. Feedback: from the use of the system of point 1, the system is able to return automatic and immediate metrics (ratios, indicators, indexes, surveys, create dashboards, etc.) that will help in the commercial and administrative management of the store and give information for the customer. l. New Marketing Channel: The processing of the data from points 1 and 2 above will allow a new channel of differentiated dialogue between the customer and the store, beyond the one that the stores may have.

[0020] The process contains several elements. It uses a software that contains analysis and processing of big data of wines and whiskeys, their characteristics and consumer and expert ratings, and an architecture able to work dynamically, customize, modify and be scalable and integrated with each particular store (stock, inventory, prices, sectorization, etc.). With the use of displays (using QR's and/or touch screens and/or smartphones, etc.), which can contain or download the information from the mentioned software/platform and customized to the store, the customer will be able to select his preferences from a range of predetermined search possibilities. The system will summarize the store's total stock information based on the parameters chosen by the customer and will generate one or more options (no more than 10) so that they can be "compared" (in the form of lists, graphs and matrices), among ratings "weighted" by the system itself, number of ratings, price and flavors. The system distinguishes between objective and subjective variables, which trigger different search and selection options, and differ in the weighting at the time of comparison, previously informing the customer before making a decision. The final choice by the customer allows the system to return the location of the chosen product(s) (there is a previous sectorization by the store that is uploaded to the system), and a pre-order is uploaded to the store’s system (allows it to be taken as ratification data for the purchase). The customer and the choice process are recorded, so the system can collect this information, provide feedback, analyze, and generate metrics to be used for planning, operations management and subsequent marketing by the store. It is "one more channel" that links the store and its customers, but it is the "only" channel that can link the customer and his preferences with the stores that stock those products (that have the system of this presentation).

[0021] Some general aspects of the present invention have been summarized so far in the first part of this this detailed description and in the previous sections of this disclosure. Hereinafter, a detailed description of the invention as illustrated in the drawings will be provided. While some aspects of the invention will be described in connection with these drawings, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. The specific materials, methods, structures, and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting. Instead, the intended function of this disclosure is to exemplify some of the ways -including the presently preferred ways- in which the invention, as defined by the claims, can be enabled for a Person of Ordinary Skill in the Art. Therefore, the intent of the present disclosure is to cover all variations encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims, and any reasonable equivalents thereof.

[0022] Referring to the drawings in more detail, Fig. 1 shows a general diagram of the processes and elements involved in the Wine Purchase Decision Making Aiding System and Method object of the present application. The Platform 1 is a configurable, scalable, and integrated platform, susceptible of automatic and manual update software, which content includes a Database 2 of wines with all their data (nationality, region, type of wine, grape variety, year, ratings, etc.), and prices provided by each store. The Platform 1 also includes a predefined (customized) Purchase Decision Process 3, and a Metrics System 4, in charge of performing feedback data collection, analysis and intelligence of the data. [0023] The Database 2 is connected to a Store Database 8, which is part of the Store Data 6, which also includes the Store System 7 of a Store 5, contracting the services. The Store 5 may its own pre-existing Store System 7 and Store Database 8, which can be adapted to be connected in such a way that it can share information dynamically with the Platform 1, or it can be provided with a new Store System 7 and Store Database 8 already prepared to work seamlessly with the Platform 1. The Store Database 8 interacts and is constantly updated by the Store System 7 in order to reflect current stock. At the same time, the Store Data 6 is constantly connected and up to date with the Platform 1, which can consult the current stock and availability in the Store 5 at any given moment.

[0024] The Store 5 also has its actual Physical Stock 10 in the Store Shelves 9. A Customer 12, when physically present in a Store 5, can see the Physical Stock 10 in the Store Shelves 9, but does not have all the information needed to make an informed and objective purchase decision. The Customer 12 is then, in front of a Decision Dilemma 13. Here is where the Wine Purchase Decision Making Aiding System and Method object of the present invention comes into place. The Customer 12 facing a Decision Dilemma 13 connects through a Connecting Means 14 to the Platform 1. This Connecting Means 14 can be a Mobile Device 15 or a Touch Screen 16 or any future visual tool that can visualize and display a software and that the customer can interact (owned by the business or the customer) that can connect wi-fi or mobile data or any system that supplants it and that can download the information contained in the Platform 1 and be used in a business that sells wines (the consultations can be done offline, however the internal work, updates, etc., will necessarily work with connection). In the case of the mobile device 15, the specific Store 5 in which the Customer 12 is present can be determined by geolocation or entered manually in the app or website. Also, in the Store Shelves 9, a QR code 11 can be present which the customer 14 can scan with use of their Mobile Device 15 in order to connect with the Platform 1 and launch the Purchase Decision Process 3.

[0025] This Purchase Decision Process 3 takes place in the following fashion: First, the system requests Personal Information 17 from the Customer 12, about Date of birth (legally determines possibility of purchase and mkt purpose), email and/or cell phone number. The system then assigns username. If the Customer 12 is not using the system for the first time, this information can be known already, and does not need to be entered again. Then the Customer 12 can choose between different options: The first option is "Objective Choice (OC) 18, Nationality or Region or Type of wine or Strain. Can mix "subjective” aspects but the customer is warned, and system goes to the second choice; "Subjective Choice" (SC) 19, which Combines Pairings or styles of wines with objective parameters or starts with OC 18 and in the selection it diverts to subjective parameters; the third option is "Quick Best Match” (QBM) 20: The system brings the "best five" of predetermined options (e.g. most purchased in the last month/year, best by rating, nationality, region, grape variety, price/rating ratio, testing notes, options for barbecue etc.). The system will be able to compare the options with graphs and matrices. The fourth option is "Quick Options Comparison (QOC) 21. The system returns ONE product of: Personal options: customer specifies product name; Default options: (customizable): best option in the ranking, Best ratio of ratings/number of reviews for the store; Best price/rating ratio in the store, Best ratio in red wines with "wood" and "fruits". Red wines with more "wood" in the store, Higher tannin red wines, Lower or higher % alcohol content, Least sweet Sauvignon Blanc in store; Etc.) Lastly, the fifth option are combos (COM) 31, consisting of default combinations of quantity customized by the store.

[0026] The partial results list 22 is shown as follows: In the cases of OC 18, SC 19 and QOC 21, when the selection process reaches a selection sample of ten products or less, the system displays the list with wine name, year, rating, number of ratings and price, through the Connecting Means 14, to the Customer 12. The List 22 is displayed sorted by default from the better rated items to the lower rating items, but the customer can vary and sort by price or rating quantity (A-Z or Z-A). If the results are more than ten items, (Rl) no list is displayed and the selection is narrowed down by the best ratio of rating, number of ratings and prices (which can be automatically pre-programmed by the store or the choice can be made by the customer), if there are no selection parameters left to continue. If the result is less than ten items but more than five (R2), the Final Selection 23 can be made from the list by marking one or more choices, or R2 can be compared using Charts 24. These charts 24 can be bubble, radar, or bar charts to make a final choice or reduce the list and follow the next choice. If the result is less than five items (R3), the system can run a comparison subsystem 25 (word cloud, matrices, hierarchy charts, choice by flavor, etc.), giving the customer the possibility to make a final choice. In the case of QBM 20, and COM 31, the result is immediate.

[0027] The final choice takes place in the following way: a list of the item or items selected by the Customer 12 through the Connecting Means 14, their characteristics and approximate location on the shelves is displayed to the Customer 12 through the Connecting Means 14. The Customer 12 then confirms the selection through a process called "Confirm selection result" (CSR) 26. The CSR 26 triggers an automatic pre-purchase notice to the store system 7.

[0028] The system takes a quick satisfaction survey of the selection system and displays a screen to the Customer 12 through the Connecting Means 14, with selection result characteristics, photo label and approximate Location 28 of selected product(s). It also sends a SMS or Email 27 to the Customer 12 for his information about the process that took place. Now the Customer 12 is an informed Customer 29, who can physically complete the purchase, by grabbing the selected items from the Location 28 in the Store 5. Some days later, the system sends a survey to the Customer 12 to obtain rating of CSR produces), and then sends this Feedback 30 to the Platform 1, which utilizes it for feeding the Metrics 4 for using it in strategic business intelligence.

[0029] The description as set forth is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teachings above without departing from the spirit and scope of the forthcoming claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

I . A Wine Purchase Decision Making Aiding System and Method comprising: a) a Platform for analyzing and processing big data of wines and an architecture able to interact with a store, said Platform comprising: i) a Wines Database comprising wine data, said wine data comprising said wines' nationality, region, type of wine, grape variety, year, ratings, and prices provided by the Store; ii) a Purchase Decision Making Process which analyses subjective parameters entered to said Platform by a Customer, and objective parameters obtained from said Wines Database, to define a Short List of ten or less selected wines; and iii) a Metrics System in charge of performing feedback data collection, analysis, and intelligence of said wine data; b) a Store comprising: i) Store Data comprising a Store Database and a Store System, said Store Database interacting with and being updated by said Store System in order to reflect current stock, and said Store Data being constantly connected and up to date with said Platform, which can consult current stock and availability' in the Store at any given moment; and ii) A Physical Stock of wines in the Store Shelves; and c) Connecting means from which a customer physically present in said Store connects to said Platform; wherein said Purchase Decision Making Process sends said Short List of selected wines, characteristics, and approximate location of said selected wines on the shelves to the Customer through said Connecting Means, the Customer then confirming a selection through a "Confirm Selection Result" (CSR) process, said CSR process triggering an automatic pre-purchase notice to the store system; wherein said Platform sends a survey to the Customer to obtain rating of CSR products, and then sends a Feedback to the Platform, which utilizes it for feeding said Metrics System for using it in strategic business intelligence; and wherein said Platform is embodied in a computer having a processor, a memory, and a screen. The Wine Purchase Decision Making Aiding System and Method of Claim 1, wherein said connecting means is a Mobile Device and said Store Shelves comprise a QR code which the Customer scans with said Mobile Device in order to connect with said Platform and launch said Purchase Decision Process. The Wine Purchase Decision Making Aiding System and Method of claim 1, wherein said connecting means is a touchscreen device physically present at said Store and available to the Customer, to connect with said Platform and launch said Purchase Decision Process.